Voting Sessions - Saarland residents vote for members of the European Parliament and local councils.
The polling stations opened at 8 AM in Saarland, marking the start of elections day. Approximately 800,000 people are being asked to vote for municipal councils and the European Parliament. Furthermore, there are 23 direct elections for mayors, city mayors, and county councils, some of which include Völklingen, Saarlouis, Homburg, St. Wendel, Saarpfalz-Kreis, Neunkirchen, and the Regional Council of Saarbrücken.
Today, 16- and 17-year-olds get to exercise their voting rights for the first time in the European election. The minimum age for municipal elections remains at 18 years. Throughout the election process, 34 parties are represented on the ballot. A whopping 10,000 election workers are working tirelessly.
Only one representative from Saarland currently sits in the European Parliament, Manuela Ripa from the Ecological Democratic Party (ODP). She is hoping to maintain her position as the leading candidate for her party. On the other hand, Rolandon Theis from the CDU Saar is in the running for the top spot, while Christian Petry from the SPD is aiming for a seat.
The precise number of eligible voters has not been disclosed by the state electoral commission. The previous European election had around 767,500 people eligible to vote in the smallest German federal state. Meanwhile, 806,500 individuals were eligible for the last municipal elections.
The CDU secured 32.5% of the votes in the 2019 European election, while the SPD received 23.1%, resulting in a turnout of around 66%. In the municipal election, the CDU had 34.0% and the SPD had 30.0% with a turnout of approximately 63%.
The official results for the European election will be announced by the state electoral commission on Friday at 11 PM. Additionally, the polling stations in the EU will close at that time. The results for the municipal elections are expected on Monday, while results for the direct elections of county councils and mayors will be revealed on Sunday evening.
